The Fateful Illusion
by Timekill
Summary: Lyra Evans and Ethan Littlewood from New Bark Town have to stay together to fight through tragedy in Johto and to stay alive. A wild Zoroark is attacking visitors of Ilex Forest - but no-one knows what it is or why it is there. The pair are scared; and they've lost direction in their lives. They are forced to cling to each other in hopes that they can escape.
1. Prologue

A faint rustling can be heard in the ominous Ilex Forest. The silhouette of a tall, slender figure is visible in the faint moonlight. A pair of light-blue eyes shine brightly in the darkness. It appears to sense something coming. Quick as a blur, the figure disappears into the forest without a trace, careful not to be seen.

A man in a brown coat and trousers and has a gentleman's look enters the forest. He is followed by a man that is wearing a white lab coat and seems very calm. Suddenly, the familiar pair of gleaming light-blue eyes appear in the distance.

The first man speaks with a wary tone. "Perhaps we should have taken the other route... I don't like this."

"Oh, Rockwell... you've always been very superstitious. Ilex Forest is a wonderful place. Blessed by the shrine deep inside, life is very abundant here. It is said that Celebi once rested inside of the shrine."

"Maybe you're right. This place isn't so scary after all, Professor."

"That's the spirit."

The pair kept walking through. A friendly Farfetch'd, a common sight in the Ilex Forest, approaches them with an apprehensive look. The Professor crouches down, and pats its head. "Don't be afraid, little Farfetch'd. We're friendly."

The Farfetch'd still looks apprehensive, but accepts the pat. The next events happen all too quickly.

A blue hue envelops the Farfetch'd's body. The Professor removes his hand from the Farfetch'd's head and backs away. Rockwell turns, but is frozen, split between fear and curiosity. The Farfetch'd begins to take the shape of the tall, slim silhouette and transforms into it. The blue hue fades away, and the monster is clearly visible. Black fur covers most of its humanoid body, and has a scarf of darker fur that is around the stem of its neck. Long, red, hair stems from its head and has black spikes sprouting up. Sharp, red claws on the end of its arms and legs. Lips with blood red on the end. And finally, the bright light-blue eyes. It is a Zoroark in its full form, prepared to strike the two, with its claws bared and its legs drawn back. Before the two could do anything, the Zoroark was already primed and ready to kill.

Then it attacked.


	2. Chapter One - The Shock

"Hello, Johto, and welcome to Channel 8 News, bringing you the most up-to-date news in Johto this beautiful night, straight from Goldenrod City. I'm Robin Gregor..."

"...And I'm Christine Halen. Welcome to the broadcast. The top story tonight brings us to just west of Azalea Town, in the usually peaceful Ilex Forest. In the late hours of last night, our very own Pokémon Professor Elm and a man named Rockwell Asarte were traversing through Ilex on their way to Goldrenrod City when they were struck by a mysterious creature. Doctors say that the two men recieved claw wounds straight to the chest, just barely avoiding the heart. They are in critical condition and are extremely lucky to be alive. We now go to our field reporter in Azalea, Terry Rajouski."

The words pounded 12-year-old Ethan Littlewood, a beginning trainer from the small New Bark Town. He had listened to this news broadcast repeatedly, and the words were imprinted into his mind. He was unable to erase them. The doubts began flooding in. Such a threat is terrifying for a young boy. What is this mysterious creature? Is it confined to Ilex Forest? What would happen to him if he were to go to Azalea Town? Those were just a couple of the many questions that he had, and yet, he would not be able to find an answer for any of them. All that he could do was wait and find out.

The first floor of Ethan's home is one large room. Ethan is sitting on a sofa placed in front of a television set, to the right of the entrance. His mother is in the kitchen, preparing to make the third meal of the day. The kitchen has a counter that curves around, and a refrigerator behind it. There is a cupboard containing all of the spices, sauces and etcetera needed to create a proper meal, and also some snacks. There is also a sink, an oven, and a microwave, all compacted into one small kitchen. The stairwell is to the left of the entrance.

"Honey, did you hear the news?" It was his mother speaking. Her name was Tulip Littlewood, and she was a single parent for Ethan.

"Yes, of course. How could I not have? It's all over the news and the Internet."

"It is very sad. Professor Elm is a native to our very home, New Bark Town, and Asarte is a close friend of his. Some call him Mr. Pokémon. I used to know Professor Elm before he became a Professor..."

"We can only hope that they will be okay."

"I hope so."

Ethan's mother was cooking dinner, although, frankly, Ethan didn't have much of an appetite. He had so many thoughts swirling around in his head, it was impossible to focus. After he ate his dinner, he proceeded straight up to his room on the second floor of their house. His room contains a television set, and a desktop computer on top of a desk. His bed is set to the right of the flight of stairs, and has a small table next to it with an alarm clock and a large book about Pokémon. A window is by his bed, and a Chikorita is waiting to greet him on top of his bed. Ethan pets Chikorita, walks over to the window and looks out of it with a sorrowful look. He began to think about the future. What will become of New Bark Town? What will become of Johto? And, most of all, what will become of him? Only time will tell. He clutches Chikorita tightly. Outside, Ethan can see Lyra Evans, his next-door neighbor and friend, playing outside with her Marrill. She will be devastated by the news, he thought. All that he could hope for was for her to stay happy. He could not bear to see her sad. He wished he could comfort her...

"Hee hee! That was fun!"

12-year-old Lyra Evans and her Marrill are outside, playing in the light of the setting sun. The lake to the east of her home, New Bark Town, casts a beautiful reflection of the dimming sunlight and the transitioning warm colors of the sunset. It is a truly wonderful sight.

"Lyra, it's time to come inside!" Her father, Anthony Evans, calls her inside. She reluctantly heads towards her house and opens the door. Inside, the layout of the Evans home is suprisingly alike to the Littlewood house. Lyra takes the television remote from on the couch and turns it on. After flipping through the many different stations that Johto has to offer, there is one broadcast that catches her eye. It is the Channel 8 News, the most popular and reliable news in Johto, and it broadcasts from Goldenrod City. She listens to the newscast; it is the same one that Ethan had heard just an hour before.

Lyra's smile fades quickly. An assault in the Ilex Forest? What will happen next? Her mind tosses back these kinds of questions in the same way the Ethan Littlewood's had. They were both just starting out as Pokémon trainers; and they both had big ambitions. But with the incident near Azalea, how could they continue with them? And if the violence spreads...

She heads up to her room, and goes over to her window. She rests her head against the windowsill and looks out into the places beyond. She feels scared. Afraid. There is no sense of direction anymore; what will she do with her life now? She wished that she had someone to comfort her... She looks across to Ethan Littlewood's house. The lights are on. Inside, she can see Ethan looking through his window. He notices this, and glances over to her through the glass. Their eyes lock, and in that moment in time, they mutually feel a need for one another.

"...Officer, we must be careful. Any time the creature could strike; and we may not be so lucky as Elm and Asarte."

In the twenty-four hours since the attack, an investigation had been set up by the Goldenrod City Police Department. Detectives were on the scene, searching for anything different or odd for clues. The police department could not find a single trace of evidence, not even DNA left on the grass from its footsteps or any tracks at all. The case was one of the most confusing and mysterious ones that the GCPD had ever seen, and the entire police district of Johto had ever faced. There was nothing. All that they had to rely on now was witness accounts. They would have to question Professor Elm and Rockwell Asarte once they came to. Elm and Asarte had been lying on the soft Ilex Forest floor for close to three hours before one man went into the woods and saw them there, cold and lifeless. He immediately called the emergency services to carry them off. The man thought that they had been dead. The Professor and Asarte have not been conscious since, and now they are laying in hospital beds, with their hearts barely going.

The GCPD had blocked off both entrances to the Ilex Forest, only allowing policemen and men from the Johto Bureau of Investigation into the place. The scene of the strike had been cordoned off with caution tape. Officials bent below the yellow tape and examined the scene. Small splotches of dried blood were visible on the grassy ground; but there were still no footprints or tracks, other than that of Elm and Asarte. They had taken some grass from the scene to examine if any DNA had been left behind from the creature, but they could not find anything. All that they could find was a sole Farfetch'd's stick near the scene. The authorities scanned the stick for anything, and they found the DNA of a Farfetch'd. However, this DNA did not match that of the DNA of any other Farfetch'd known to inhabit the Ilex Forest. Scientists could not figure out how this could happen. Ilex Forest was the only place in which Farfetch'd live in Johto or Kanto. Interesting, yes, but how could the Farfetch'd stick and the assault of these men be linked? This mystery was, for the GCPD and the JBI, seemingly unsolvable. For now, all that they could do was cut off any public access to Ilex Forest. The police and the detectives were risking their own lives to help solve the case of the attack.

It is nighttime just west of Azalea Town, and the authorities are still hard at work attempting to discover any evidence at all. The work has not stopped since they were sent out there. Suddenly, there is a rustling just like that of the night before. However, none of the police or JBI agents hear it, as they are too caught up in hushed conversations, and the faint rustling is drowned out. Inside of the trees to the east, the gleaming light-blue eyes peer out and watch the investigators.

"I think we should call off the investigation, Mr. Harrison," says an important-looking man in a dark coat. "We're not getting anywhere with this."

Mr. Harrison is wearing a police uniform. "I agree, Johnson. We haven't found any evidence in the hours that we've been here."

"Do you think we should stop now?"

"I don't think staying just a bit longer would do any harm. Perhaps they overlooked something."

"I doubt that they overlooked anything, but I am in no position to question your motives. We'll continue the investigation."

The bright eyes disappear into the shadows.


End file.
